


things in motion

by sad_goomy



Series: Lonashipping Week 2019 [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Banter, F/M, Gladion is Bad at Feelings, I'm picking on poor glad now oops, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Lonashipping, Lonashipping Week, Pre-Relationship, Prompt Fic, Socially Awkward Gladion, also featuring these four being friends because that's my bread and butter baby, brief mentions of other sumo kids for ~world-building~, for like a second, mahinashipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-10 21:02:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19912147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sad_goomy/pseuds/sad_goomy
Summary: Gladion's fallen for Moon.Moon's fallen down a mountain.





	things in motion

Gladion is as aware of his crush on Moon at this point as a pilot might be aware of their plane actively going down. 

Which is to say very and with a great deal of fear. 

He knows that she’s just a seventeen-year-old girl, and realistically even if she found out, the worst that could happen is a gentle no. Moon’s tongue might be even sharper than his, but she’s not half as mean as him; even if she didn’t return his feelings, he doubts she’d be anything but sweet about it as they awkwardly move past it to get back to their friendship. 

The less rational side of him, however, is convinced that high school girls are an entirely different species and if he makes one wrong move, he’ll be the laughing stock of Melemele High. 

Lillie is sympathetic about the whole thing. As the siblings walk towards their group’s usual meeting spot before first period, she tells her older brother, “You know, she still doesn’t have a date to prom. I know we were going as a group anyway, so maybe you can ask her to be your date to sort of test the waters?” 

Gladion makes a grunt that’s not necessarily an agreement. He’s actually been considering skipping prom altogether, maybe taking Sophocles up on his offer to join the Anti-Prom party and play paint-ball instead. The idea of having to actually go to a fancy event, never mind having to think of some elaborate “prom-posal” even before that, is making his hands sweat. 

Hau is less sympathetic about the whole thing. He’s sitting at their usual table in the courtyard, glancing up from his phone when he hears the siblings approach. With a frown and a jerk of his head towards the banner announcing this year’s Junior Prom theme – Under the Sea, delightfully tacky and unoriginal – he asks Gladion, “So you gonna ask her or what?” 

“I regret telling either of you.” He drops his backpack onto the connected bench before hopping up onto the table next to Hau, surveying the rest of the incoming students instead of looking at either his sister or best friend. He already knows that they’re sharing a knowing look anyway, and he doesn’t need that added insult to injury. It’s bad enough their immediate response to him revealing his crush was more of a ‘ _No shit, Sherlock_ _’_ than the ‘ _What a twist’_ he was expecting, but now they won’t drop the subject and it’s making the whole thing even messier. 

Lillie takes a seat on the bench, playfully batting at Hau’s feet so he’ll move them and she can sit closer to the two. He obliges and she smiles, only for her face to twist into a scowl when she looks up at her brother. “You really should tell her soon, though. She’s spending the summer with her dad and I _know_ you won’t tell her over text, and I don’t want to have to put up with you moping.” 

“I don’t mope.” 

“Oh, you mope alright,” Hau argues, continuing on with a smirk despite the glare being sent his way by the blond, “She spent maybe five minutes paying attention to Ilima at Acerola’s party and you looked like a kicked puppy.” 

Gladion mumbles some half-baked excuse involving being drunk, despite the fact that he was the group’s designated driver. 

Lillie sighs, nearly defeated before she forces herself to sit upright and slams her hands lightly against the green table. “Right then! I think you just need a clear next step to set things in motion. What were you planning on doing?” 

He blinks. Looking between Lillie and Hau’s expectant faces, he raises a brow. “...I was thinking of not telling her.” 

Hau pinches the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath before asking, “For how long?” 

“How long do you think I’ll live?” 

“ _Glad.”_ Hau lets out an even longer sigh, looking up as the high school courtyard continues to fill up with students. They only have a few minutes left until they need to start heading to class, and he can see a familiar figure walking through the gate now. “Just start by asking her to prom, she won’t think anything of it. Also, either of you know why she has a cast on her left arm?” 

The siblings’ eyes widen, Gladion craning his neck to try and spot Moon as Lillie turns in her seat. Lo and behold, Moon greets them with a wave of her left hand, a neon blue cast with a few Sharpie names sailing through the air with the motion. “Morning,” she chirps, stopping in front of their table with a lazy smile, her gray eyes still half-asleep. 

Gladion’s concerned, and he wants to gently touch her arm as he asks, “Are you okay?” 

Instead, however, he frowns at her and snaps, “What the hell did you do?” 

_Close enough_ , he thinks with a grimace, knowing that it’s not at all close enough and he’s starting to understand what Lillie means when she tells him he comes off as antagonistic. 

“Oh.” Moon glances down at the cast, as though she’s already forgotten that it’s there, and then looks back up at him. “I fractured my radius.” 

Hau laughs, nodding. “We can see that, cousin – I think the question is how?” 

“Especially since I thought you were spending the whole weekend studying,” Lillie chimes in, equal parts suspicious and amused. 

“I was,” Moon huffs, before she falters. “And then I sort of fell down a mountain.” 

She goes on to explain how, which isn’t a particularly good explanation and mostly consists of her trying to find different ways to avoid saying she really just slid in the wrong spot on an old path. 

And the entire time Gladion listens, his chin in the palm of his hand and his eyes glued to her face, watching the freckles on her cheeks dance as she pouts and gesticulates. Without his knowledge or consent, his lips curl into a lopsided smile that only grows the deeper she gets into her story. It’s only when Moon pauses, blinking at him when he realizes what’s going on. 

“What are you smiling a-” 

“ _Nothing.”_ It’s less acidic and more panicked, but he hopes she doesn’t notice. 

Lillie comes to his rescue as she pulls a Sharpie out of her bag, eyes lighting up as she asks, “Well, can we at least sign it?” 

Moon brandishes her arm, Lillie taking the time to keep her cursive neat and flowery, smiling at her handiwork when she’s finished. She passes off the marker to Hau, and he grins as he goes in for a doodle alongside his name. Gladion leans over, brows furrowing in confusion. “Why a rat?” 

“It’s a _mongoose_ ,” he replies in dismay, tilting his head and frowning. “If you kinda squint...” 

They do just that, tilting their heads and squinting at the doodle. “I can sort of see it,” Moon offers, only to immediately temper it, “But I’m looking at it upside down.” 

The bell rings just as the Sharpie slides into Gladion’s hand, and he hops off the table and grabs his backpack. Lillie walks ahead with Hau, giving his arm a comforting pat as they expound on the difficulty of art. Moon and Gladion hang back, taking their typical route towards her first class of the day on the third floor. He claims it’s a shortcut for him, but has never actually answered how when she pointed out his class is on the first floor. 

He looks back down at her cast, twirling the Sharpie in his fingers as he snorts. “Great timing.” When she only looks confused, he explains, keeping his gaze on the walls littered with announcements and posters, “You know, because prom?” 

Her eyes light up as she remembers, glancing down at the neon blue with a cringe. “Yeah, oops.” She chews her cheek in thought as they climb up another flight of stairs. “Well, there’s still a month, so I should be able to get it off before then.” 

“Still concerned that you have it at all.” 

“Don’t worry about me Flower Boy – I'm a big girl.” They stop a few feet from the classroom door, not minding the other students brushing past them. Moon gives him a smirk as she leans against the wall, doing her best to cross her arms despite the cast. 

He cracks a smirk, ignoring the butterflies in his throat at the mention of that stupid nickname she gave him _(she_ gave him, took the time to think of and bestow and now he’s rambling ). _“_ A big girl who falls down mountains on the weekend.” 

“ _Okay.”_ She huffs and he laughs, and he realizes he still has the Sharpie and only a few minutes to get to his own class. His eyes catch on a poster for prom behind her, and he swallows the idea forming. Moon tilts her head, lifting her cast as she waggles her brows. “You know, you still haven’t signed it.” 

He does with shaky hands, unable to look at her even after he snaps the cap back onto the Sharpie. “See you at lunch,” he throws over his shoulder as he walks towards the stairs without a glance back. 

She raises a brow, glancing down at the new signature on the cast, only for her eyes to widen a moment later. 

Before he can get down the flight of stairs, she chases after him, ignoring the confused stares of the few students still left in the halls. She skids to a stop on the landing, spotting him on the last step and shouting, “Hey dingus!” 

Gladion turns, and it’s the first time she’s seen him blush; it’s not even a light smattering of pink on his cheeks, but a furious scarlet that’s traveled to his ears. “What?” 

Moon bites her cheek to keep from laughing. She lifts her arm, revealing the spot where he signed his name on her cast. 

And below, in wiggly letters that betray his nerves, a very small “Prom?” 

“You didn’t even let me answer.” 

The bell rings, signaling to both of them that they’re going to be late. Neither of them moves. 

He swallows, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket to try and preserve at least a little of his dignity. “So?” he calls out, even though his stomach has twisted itself into a fisherman’s knot. 

Her smirk widens into a genuine smile. 

“I guess we’re going to prom together.” 

Gladion is as aware of his crush on Moon at this point as a kid who’s just flown a kite for the first time. 

Which is to say very and with more excitement than he ever thought possible. 

**Author's Note:**

> first prompt, injured, is officially complete! something a little light and silly to kick off lonashipping week, and an AU because I can't be stopped


End file.
